ION TELEVISION BECOMES ONLY NETWORK TO HAVE ALL THREE LAW & ORDER SERIES, THE MOST-WATCHED FRANCHISE...

WEST PALM BEACH, September 22, 2015 – ION Television today announced the premiere dates for new acquisitions, “Law & Order,” the longest-running drama in American primetime, and previous episodes of “Law & Order: SVU,” the most-watched drama on television. They join “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” which debuted on ION Television in 2012, making the network the only place to see all three “Law & Order” series, the most-watched brand in television history.

ION Television is a top-rated general entertainment destination, ranking in the top 10 among all cable networks with adults 25-54. The ION Television audience watches shows live and significantly longer than the industry average.*

“Our hat trick of ‘Law & Order’ series is a continued delivery on our promise to our loyal viewers to provide the highest quality entertainment programming,” said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO of ION Media Networks. “The ‘Law & Order’ franchise is compelling, acclaimed and culturally iconic: This is just the type of programming on which we’ve built ION Television. It’s behind the reason that we continue to deliver ratings and weather industry and TV viewing headwinds.”

Providing high-quality general entertainment programming, the network has three of the top five most-watched U.S. drama series: “Criminal Minds”, “Blue Bloods” and “Law & Order: SVU.” It also boasts a robust line up of original content, including the series “The Listener” and “Flashpoint,” plus a strong slate of made-for-TV original movies.

To celebrate the “Law & Order” trifecta, ION Television will air a “Law & Order” marathon from September 23-25, when viewers can watch their favorite episodes all day long. The fall premiere dates for the series are:

9/24: “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” – Averages 1 million viewers on ION Television and is among top 10 in its time period in HH, A 25-54 and WW 25-54 (All seasons under license since 2012/195 episodes).

About “Law & Order” and “Law & Order SVU”“Law & Order” series features a revolving cast of stars in seasons 13-20, including S. Epatha Merkerson, Sam Waterston, Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Elisabeth Röhm, Fred Thompson, Alana de la Garza, Jeremy Sisto, Linus Roache, and Anthony Anderson. The series is a blended police procedural and courtroom drama set in New York City. Often derived from real-life headlines, the show’s structure is two-part, with the first half focused on the criminal investigation, and the latter half set in the courtroom. Despite being known for its revolving cast, the series managed to keep a unifying identity even as its familiar faces were replaced with new ones over the years. “Law & Order” creates tension and suspense through the complex interaction of its many characters, from the criminals to the defense attorneys, any of which can have shadowy intentions hidden up their sleeves. In addition to the tension and twists, the chemistry among the cast mainstays kept viewers emotionally engaged over two decades.

“Law & Order” was created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Films, Universal Television (2003-04), NBC Universal Television Studio (2004-07) and Universal Media Studios (2007-10). The series is distributed by NBCUniversal Television Distribution. The series collected several awards and nominations over its long run, including an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 1997.

“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU)” is an American police procedural, legal, crime drama television series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced. In the style of the original “Law & Order,” episodes are often "ripped from the headlines" or loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention. Created and produced by Dick Wolf, the series premiered on NBC on September 20, 1999, as the first spin-off of “Law & Order.”

“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” originally centered almost exclusively on the detectives of the Special Victims Unit in a fictional version of the 16th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. As the series progressed, additional supporting characters were added as allies of the detectives in the New York County Manhattan District Attorney's office (known as advisers from the Sex Crimes Bureau) and the Medical Examiner's office. Typical episodes follow the detectives and their colleagues as they investigate and prosecute sexually based offenses.

“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” has been nominated for and won numerous awards, including the 2006 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Mariska Hargitay, the first Emmy to be received by a regular on any “Law & Order” series.

About ION Television
A leading U.S. general entertainment network, ION Television combines high-quality programming and dependable distribution with an attitude of innovation and growth. Its "Positively Entertaining" network brand positioning features a formula of proven series, an expansive catalog of blockbuster movies and a commitment to introduce new original programming. ION Television has grown its Adults 25-54 audience by 160% since its 2007 launch and has consistently remained among the top 15 entertainment networks. For more information, visit www.iontelevision.com.